Display mitt



April 29, 1969 I J, DGETLUCK 3,441,178

DISPLAY MITT Filed May 31, 1966 United States Patent 3,441,178 DISPLAY MITT John Dgetluck, Chicopee Falls, Mass., assignor to Pioneer Packaging, Inc., Chicopee, Mass., at corporation of Massachusetts Filed May 31, 1966, Ser. No. 553,885 Int. Cl. B65d 35 56; G09f 23/00 US. Cl. 222-105 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Collapsible tube containers are made of various materials, for example, of thin soft metal, but more often, in

recent years, of a synthetic plastic--'sometimes transparent so as to expose the contents to view. However, regardless of the material, they are almost universally approximately cylindrical in transverse section before they have been collapsed and for this reason it is somewhat difficult to apply such printed matter, as may be desired, to containers of this type. For example, it may be a legal requirement, as respects containers employed to hold pharmaceutical products, that the ingredients be listed on the outside of the container; or that, for the dispensing of some materials, it is necessary to print directions for use on the container; or it may be desirable, merely for advertising purposes, to place printed material on the exterior of the container. However, since from its inception, the container is usually approximately cylindrical and since, furthermore, the material of the container, for example a synthetic plastic having a smooth and hard surface, presents substantial difficulty in the application of printing, especially when using a printing medium which does not make a ready or permanent bond with the plastic.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the container is furnished, at least temporarily and while on sale or on display, with means providing an extended surface for the application of printed or decorative matter and to which printing may be applied with the same ease and by the use of the same printing mediums as are conventionally employed in printing on a flat surface of paper or cardboard. Other and further objects of the invention are to provide a collapsible container with an extended surface for the reception of decorative, advertising or other matter, applied by printing and which, before its assembly with the container, may be in flat or sheet form best adapted to receive printing and for storage or shipment. A further object is to provide such a device, herein for convenience termed a mitt, which may readily be applied to the container without requiring any modification of the container from usual and customary shape or material and which is securely held in place, after having once been applied, without the use of any adhesive, but which may be removed readily from the container, without damage to the latter, when it is so desired.

Other and further objects will be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation showing the mitt of the present invention assembled with a collapsible dispensing container, the latter being shown in inverted position;

3,441,178 Patented Apr. 29, 1969 FIG. 1a is a fragmentary diagrammatic view showing the upper, closed end of a collapsible container, which is assumed to be a plastic container, which has been closed at its larger end by pressure and/or heat-sealing;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section, to smaller scale, substantial-ly on the line 22 of FIG. 1, showing the flattened elliptical shape of the upper end portion of the mitt when the latter is assembled with the container;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 33 of FIG. 1, showing the approximate contour of the lower end of the mitt and the body portion of the tubular container when they are assembled;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a blank appropriate to form a mitt according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the mitt which results from the folding of the blank and the adhesive union of the left and right margins of the blank;

FIG. 6 is a left-hand elevation of the mitt of FIG. 5, showing the location of an aperture for cooperation with a part of the container thereby to hold the mitt in assembled relation with the container;

FIGURE 7 is a right-hand edge elevation of the mitt of FIG. 5, showing a guiding slot designed to facilitate assembly of the mitt and container and also to make possible the removal of the mitt from the container when it is desired to dispense with the mitt;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary elevation, to larger scale, of the left-hand edge of the mitt as viewed in FIG. 1, showing a part of the collapsible container engaging the locking aperture of the mitt;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevation, to larger scale than FIG. 7, showing the guide slot of the mitt, with a portion of the container located therein; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section substantially on the line 10-10 of FIG. 8, showing the locking element of the container engaging the locking aperture of the mitt.

Referring to the drawings, the character C (FIG. 1) designates a collapsible dispensing container, and the character M designates the display mitt of the present invention. The container shown is of a common and wellknown type which, for example, may be of a synthetic plastic, having a substantially circular tubular body portion 1 provided, as shown, with a removable cap 2 at its lower or dispensing end. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the cap has a fiat bottom surface 3 so that the container may be stood on end, if desired, for example, for display purposes, or merely for the convenience of the user of the contents. Assuming that the container is synthetic plastic and has been closed permanently at its upper end by pressure and/ or heat-sealing, there will be a flattened solid strip 4 (FIG. la) extending transversely across the width of the container at its end, and the container itself, at its upper part, will have been flattened to a certain extent by the process of closing it so that at its upper portion it may be a very much flattened ellipse. The sealing operation not only produces the solid transversely extending strip 4, but it also produces small extruded, laterally projecting ears or lugs 5 and 6 at the opposite ends of the strip 4. In accordance with the present invention these cars 5 and 6 are utilized for positioning. the mitt of the present invention relatively to the container and with respect to one, at least, of these ears or lugs, to provide means for holding the mitt in assembled relation with the container so long as may be desired, and even for supporting the container in suspended position when the mitt is hung upon a hook or the like.

The mitt M of the present invention is made of sheet material, particularly one which is adapted to receive printing or other form of designating characteristics or embellishments and thus may, for example, be of a stiff cardboard smoothly finished on at least one side. While it is contemplated that the mitt may be made by the use of a blank differing in some respects from that illustrated in FIG. 4, the blank, so shown, provides a mitt having the desired characteristics. This blank B (FIG. 4) is here shown as of approximately rectangular shape comprising the central panel 7 set off from the adjacent portions of the blank by the fold lines 8 and 9, where the blank is scored or otherwise locally weakened, and with panels 16 and 11 at opposite sides of the central panel 7. Merely by way of example the blank may be approximately inches in width; 4% inches from top and bottom, with the central panel 2% inches in width-such a blank providing a mitt useful with a container of approximately 1% inch in diameter midway its length.

The panel 11 has a score line 12 setting off a pasting flap 13 at the right-hand side of the blank as shown in FIG. 4, while the upper and lower corner portions of the panel are desirably cut away slightly to form diagonal edges 15 and 16. Desirably the upper left-hand corner of the panel 10 and the upper end portion of the pasting panel 13 are provided with holes 17 and 18 respectively, while the central panel 7 is provided with a similar hole at its upper part, designated by the numeral 19. As shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the panel 10 of the blank is provided with a U-shaped incision defining a tongue 20 whose free end is located at the fold line 8. If this tongue be bent out of the plane of the panel 10, there is left an opening 21 (FIG. 8) in the edge of the completed mitt, as shown in FIG. 6. As shown this opening is approximately midway between the upper and lower edges of the block. The blank also has an open-ended slot 22 which extends down along the fold line 9, as shown in FIGS. 4, 7 and 10.

When the blank B is folded along the lines 8 and 9, the holes 17, 18 and 19 register with each other, providing an aperture for the reception of a hook or peg upon which the mitt may be suspended. Preparatory to folding the blank, the pasting strip 13 is coated with adhesive and after folding, the parts are so held until the adhesive has set. There is thus provided a flattened, substantially rectangular sleeve (with folds at the location ,of the lines 8 and 9) which may be opened out or distended to form the desired tubular mitt. The dimensions of the blank are so chosen, as in the above cited example, with reference to the size of the container with which the mitt is to be used, that when fully distended its diameter is such that it will embrace, with a snug fit, the body portion of the container.

In assembling the mitt and container, pressure is applied to the opposite edges of the mitt so as to distend the latter enough to allow the capped end of the container to be inserted in the mitt. The container is now drawn down through the mitt until the upper end of the container nears the upper edge of the mitt. The mitt and container are now relatively rotated, if necessary, until the ends of the sealing strip 4 register with the right and left edges of the mitt, and with the lug 6, for example, which is at one end of the sealing strip, disposed at the upper end of the slot 22 in the mitt. As the container is now drawn further down into the mitt, the other lug 5 eventually snaps into the aperture 21 in the mitt, the sides of the slot 22 acting as guides to insure the positioning of the lug 5 relatively to the aperture 21. When the mitt has been assembled with the container in this way, the lower end portion of the mitt will be of a configuration substantially like that of the part of the container which it embraces, as shown, for example, in FIG. 3, where the container and the mitt are indicated as substantially circular. On the other hand, at the upper portion of the container, where the latter is substantially flattened and where its longer transverse dimension is substantially greater than the diameter of its body portion, the mitt will be constrained to take a flattened more or less elliptical form, as shown in FIG. 2, so that as illustrated in FIG. 1, the mitt slightly tapers downwardly in width from its upper end, but because of its flattened form it provides an excellent surface for the display of advertising or other matter.

The locking action of the lug 5, as shown in FIG. 10, is suflicient to prevent the container from dropping out of the mitt even though the mitt be suspended from a hook or peg passing through the hole at its upper end, while the lug 6 in the slot 22 helps to keep the mitt properly positioned on the container. If it be desired to remove the mitt from the container, the elongate slot 22 permits relative tilting motion of the lug 6 and the mitt suflicient to disengage the lug 5 from the slot 21, or if, it be so desired, the mitt may readily be torn by pulling the por tions at opposite sides of the slot 22 away from each other and in this way removing the mitt, although terminating its usefulness.

If the mitt is to be provided with printed matter, the printing may be applied before the blank is folded, but since the blank, when folded, is substantially flat, it is possible to apply printing even after the blank has been folded and after its margins have been adhesively united. The exposed surface of the central panel 7 provides an extended area for the reception of advertising or other matter, and by locating the aperture 21 at a substantial distance below the upper edge of the mitt, the mitt extends well above the upper end of the container, thus, when the container is stood up, in the position of FIG. 1, locating the printed matter at an elevation where it is really conspicuous.

Since the mitt in folded condition occupies but little space it is possible to ship such mitts at a low cost, and the simplicity of the blank and the ease of making a mitt from the blank results in an initial cost sufliciently low to make the device practical for its intended purpose.

Desirably, the mitt is of a length exceeding one-half that of the container, thereby to provide an extended area for the reception of printed matter, or to which a label may be aflixed.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein been disclosed by way of example, it is to be understood that the invention is broadly inclusive of any and all modifications falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A display mitt for use with a conventional collapsible dispensing container comprising a tubular body portion having a removable cap at one end and which is flattened and permanently closed at its opposite end by a seal with lugs projecting from the container at opposite ends of said seal, said mitt being a normally flattened tube which, when distended, is of a diameter such as snugly to embrace the body portion of the container but whose largest widthwise dimension, when flattened, approximates that of the sealed end of the container-the mitt having a locking aperture for the reception of one of said container lugs and an open-ended guide slot for the reception of the other of said con-tainer lugs.

2. A display mitt according to claim 1, further characterized in that the mitt has an aperture near its upper end for the reception of a supporting element whereby the mitt, with the container attached thereto, may be suspended.

3. In combination with a collapsible tubular container of the kind which has dispensing means at one end and which is permanently sealed at its opposite end and has diametrically spaced lugs projecting laterally at its sealed end, a normally flat but distendable display mitt of sheet material suitable to receive a printing medium and which, when fully distended, is of a diameter such as snugly to embrace the body portion, said mitt having an aperture at one side, approximately midway between its ends, in which one of the container lugs is located and having an open-ended slot extending from one end to a point approximating midway its length in which the other container lug is located.

4. A foldable display mitt for use with a conventional collapsible container, said mitt being of stiff sheet material and, when folded, being substantially flat but which when unfolded nad fully distended, is of a diameter such as snugly to embrace the body portion of the container with 5 which it is to be used, the mitt, when folded, being substantially rectangular and laterally bounded by parallel folds, the mitt having an aperture spaced from one of its ends adjacent to one of said folds for the reception of a retaining device and having an open-ended slot extending from one end along the other fold line and terminating in substantially the same horizontal plane as said aperture.

6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,728,487 12/1955 'Bickle 222l05 3,281,016 10/1966 Thompson 222-105 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

F. R. HANDREN, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 222-480 

